Hot water heater



2 Sheets-Shet 2 T. H. PISER HOT WATER HEATER Filed June 2, 1954 Nov. 3, 1936..

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

no'r warn nna'rna y Theodore H. lPiser, Newton, Mass..

.application June 2, 1934i, Serial No. 728,685

15 iClailms..

The present invention relates to hot water heaters of the type in which a portion of the iiue surrounds the boiler or water tank and its object is to improve and simplify the same and increase the emciency thereof in the manner hereinafter pointed out.

In water heaters of this type, diiliculty has heretofore been experienced in maintaining the boiler substantially concentric with the inner wall of the iiue liner, and a portion of the flue, that is to say, the space between the boiler and iiue liner, of constant width throughout the i length thereof. The boiler when iilled with Water having considerable weight, it has been in und in practice that there is quite frequently a slippage between said boiler and its support which results in reducing the width of that portion of the ilue comprised by the space between the boiler and ue liner in one direction and increasing it in the other. As the ue liner is but slightly larger in diameter than the boiler, it will be clear that evenya slight relative movement between the two will have a material effect on the separation of these two elements, and this results in greatly diminishing the emciency of the heater. size frequently vary slightly in diameter so that dimculty has been experienced in maintaining the same on the laterally-extending supports of fixed dimensions which heretofore have been employed.

My invention contemplates the use of three circumferentially spaced elements such as channel irons having inwardly tapered brackets secured to their upper ends to form a seat for the bottom of the boiler, and which, by virtue of the taper will accommodate boilers slightly varying in diameter. The upper end of the boiler is maintained concentric with the ue liner by the cold water inlet and hot water outlet pipes which pass through a relatively heavy top cover for the ue liner, andA also through the top of the boiler to which they are iirmly attached.

My invention contemplates also a closure for the lower end oi' the flue liner as distinguished from the usual practice in which said flue liner is open at its lower end, and a packing of heat insulation material between the bottom closure of the flue liner and the bottom closure of the out-"- side casing. and also between the top cover of said hue liner and the top cover of said casing.

Another feature of my invention comprises Then again, boilers for heaters of given' Various other features of my invention will hereinafter more particularly be described and set forth in the appended claims.

The drawings which accompany and. form a part of this specification illustrate one embodiment of my invention which has givenA good results in practice.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a hot water heater 'embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of details of the construction;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line @-6 of Fig. 2.

In the illustrative embodiment of my invention, l is an outer casing enclosing a cylinder of relatively thin metal il, commonly known as a flue liner, a portion of the flue being the space i2 between said liner and the water tank or boiler i3 which is enclosed within said ue liner concentrically therewith, and` spaced away therefrom.

In order to maintain the boiler concentric with the ue liner and prevent all possibility of relative movement therewith, and also to increase the stability of the construction. I employ three channel irons spaced circumferentially around the flue liner to support the same, as well as the entire structure, and also to support and center the boiler with respectto the iiue liner.

'I'he channels it are arranged on the outside of the lower portion of the flue liner with their iianges i abutting the same, and a casting it is placed on the inside of-f the flueliner directly op- .Y

posite each channel with its outer face near the upper end thereof and in contact with said liner. Bolts III, it, or other suitable means, `are em# ployed to clamp the iiue liner between the channel and the castings.

Each casting it is provided with an inwardlybevelled upper end it, and preferably is provided with an inwardly-extending bracket i9 disposed immediateiy'below the bevel it and forming a ledge upon which the bottom of the boiler may rest. By virtue of the bevelled boiler seat, I compensate for variations in the diameter of the boilers which, as` aforesaid, frequently diifer in diameter, although made for heaters of given size.

The upper end of the boiler is maintained in concentric relation with the fuel liner by the cold-water inlet pipe till and hot-water `outlet pipe 2| which pass through the top 22 of the outer'casing and the top closure 23 of the flue liner, each of which may be relatively thick cornpared to the side Walls of the flue liner. The inlet and outlet pipes are in threaded engagement with the boiler, as shown, and suitable means such as the washers 24 and set-screws 25 are provided to lock the top of the casing with respect to the pipes. By virtue of the rigidity of the construction just described, all possibility of relativemovement between the upper portion of .the boiler and the flue liner is eliminated.

VIn order to conserve heat and render the apparatus more efficient, I provide the flue liner with end closures, 23 already having been described as the upper end closure and 26 being the lower end closure, and rock wool 21, or other suitable heat insulation material is placed between the end closures of the flue liner and the top and bottom of the outer casing, as well as in the circumferential space between the flue liner and casing.

The boiler terminates short of the bottom of the ue liner to form a combustion chamber in which are placed the gas burners 28, 28 and the door 29 which affords access to said combustion chamber is provided with a perforation 30. Each channel I4 extends through the bottom of the outer casing, as indicated at l5' and may have a foot l5 cast thereon.

Air of combustion enters the combustion chamber through the pipe or iiue 3l which passes through the bottom closure 26 of the fiue liner and the bottom closure 32 of the outer casing,

the latter resting on anges 33 secured to the mally there is a flow of gas through such piping to the low-input burner 28 by way of the lateral pipe 31 which is independent of the cock 38 arranged to control the flow of gas to the supplemental or highinput burner or burners 28 by way of the pipe 39. 'Throughout the specification and claims I use the terms "low input burner or normally-operating burner to designate a water-heating burner having a gas-burning capacity of not less than 1560 British thermal units per hour, as distinguished from a pilot burner, such as the burner 35, which usually has a burning capacity of about 3A cubic foot per hour, or about 400 British thermal units per hour, and the function of which is not to heat the water in the boiler but merely to light the water-heating burners and/or to control the safety pilot valve. The vterms supplemental burner or high input burner are used herein to designate a burner Which operates only under unusual conditions, as hereinafter set forth and preferably has a gasburning capacity higher than that of the normally-operating burner. The iiow of gas to al1 the burners is regulated by the thermostaticallycontrolled valve 40, the thermostat element 4l being disposed in the boiler. A safety pilot valve 42 is provided for the pilot burner and shuts ofi the supply of gas to the pilot burner when th latter is accidentally extinguished. i

Suitably connected with the cock 38 for simultaneous actuation therewith is a valve or damper 43 for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of the airintake pipe or flue, the arrangement being such that when said cock is in position to shut off the supply of gas to the supplemental burner or burners 28, said damper is closed, i. e., is disposed at right angles to the axis of said iiue, and when said cock is open and gas is supplied to said burners, said damper is in the position shown and permits the influx of the amount of air of combustion required by all the burners 28 and 28. It will be noted however that when said cock 38 and its simultaneously-actuated damper are closed, sufficient air enters said duct to support the combustion of gas supplied to the burner 28 through the central aperture 44 in said damper.

The burner 28' under normal conditicns will supply sufficient heat to maintain the water in the boiler at the desired temperature but when there is an unusual demand for hot water, or it is desired to heat water quickly, the cock 38 is opened and the burners 28, herein shown as five in number, are supplied with gas. In such case, the additional amount of air necessary to support the augmented combustion is received into the combustion chamber through the now fully-open inlet pipe 3l which may be provided with a preferably removable cap 45 having an opening somewhat smaller in diameter than said pipe.

It will thus be seen that the air of combustion is under the complete control of the user. I

have ascertained by test that when the heater is operated on low-gas input, i. e, when the single burner 28' is employed, the eiiiciency of the heater is higher than when all the burners are used. The use of an apertured damper 43 in conjunction with said removable cap 45 makes it possible to vary the input of the heater without reducing its efficiency. The air-intake pipe 3|, the annular space between the boiler and flue liner, and the air outlet pipe 3l constitute a passageway or flue for the air of combustion, sometimes called secondary air, and the products of combustion. While in the present exemplification of my invention I have shown the flue-regulating means 43 in that portion of the flue comprised by the air-intake pipe, it will be understood that ,such means may be disposed in any portion of the flue without change of result.

Having thus described an illustrative embodiment of my invention without however limiting the same thereto, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hot water heater comprising in combination an outer casing, a flue liner disposed therein, and a boiler enclosed within and spaced away from said flue liner, a plurality of channel irons, blocks each having an inwardly-bevelled end and an inwardly-extending bracket, said channel irons and blocks being disposed on opposite sides of said iiue liner, means clamping said liner between said channel irons and blocks, said channel irons extending below the bottom of said outer casing and constituting a support for said heater, and said brackets forming a support for said boiler.

2. A hot water heater comprising in combination a flue liner, a boiler enclosed within said flue liner and spaced away from the same, closures for the upper and lower ends of said ue liner, a plurality of pairs of channel irons and blocks clamped pair by pair on opposite sides of the wall of said iiue liner, said blocks having inwardly-extending brackets for receiving the bottom of said boiler, and inlet and outlet pipes passing through the top closure of said ue liner and into said boiler.

3. A hot water heater comprising in combinaburner of sulcient gas-burning capacity to maintain the Water in the boiler` at a relatively high wel temperature for normal domestic uses, a supplemental burner, both of said burners being constructedand arranged for fuel of the same type, piping for conveying fuel to said normally-operating burner, piping for conveying fuel to said supplemental burner, a valve controlling the sup-- .fleplyv of fuel to said supplemental burner, the piping to said normally-operating burner being independent of said valve, an air-intake pipe common' Ato both of said burners, and means controlled directly by said valve for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said intake pipe.

4. A hot Water heater comprising in combination, a boiler, a plurality of water-heating burners disposed for heating said boiler, one of said burners being of sufficient gas-burning capacity to maintain the water in the boiler at airelatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, and all of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, an air-intake pipe common to all of said burners, means for controlling the supply of fuel to some but not all of said 'fwWLiFnersb and other means actuated directly by said means for regulating the eifective crosssectional are'a of said intake pipe.

5. A hot water heater comprising inf combination, a boiler, a normally-operating water-heating burner pf sufficient gas-burning capacity to maintain the water in the'boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, a supplemental burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, piping for conveying fuel to said normallyoperating burner, piping for conveying fuel to said supplemental burner, a Valve controlling the supply of fuel to said supplemental burner, the piping to said normally-operating burner being independent of said valve, an air-intake pipe common to both of said burners, and an apertured damper controlled directly -by said valve for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said intake pipe.

6. A hot water heater-comprising in combination, a boiler, a normally-operating water-heating burner of sufficient gas-burning capacity to maintain the water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, a supplemental burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, piping for conveying fuel to said normallyoperatingv burner, piping for conveying fuel to said supplemental burner, a valve controlling the supply of fuel to said supplemental burner, the piping to said normally-operating burner being independent of said valve, an air-intake pipe common to both of said burners, and a damper controlled directly by said valve for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said intake pipe.

'7. A hot Water heater comprising in combination, a boiler, a normally-operating Water-heating burner of sufficient gas-burning capacity to maintain the Water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, a supplemental burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, piping for conveying fuel to said normallyoperating burner, piping for conveying fuel to said supplemental-burner, a valve controlling the supply of fuel to said supplemental burner, the piping to said normally-operating burner being independent of said valve, anair-intake -pipe common to both of said burners, an apertured cap associated with said air-intake pipe for constricting the eifective area thereof, and means controlled directly by said valve, for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said intake pipe.

8. A hotwater heater comprising in combination, a boiler, a low-input water-heating burner of sufficient gas-burning capacity' to maintain the water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature .for normal domestic uses, a high-input burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, a valve controlling the supply of fuel to said'high-input burner only, a flue common to both of said l burners, and means controlled directly by said valve for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said flue.

9. A hot water heater comprising in combination, a boiler, a plurality of water-heating burners disposed for heating said boiler, one of said burners being of suflicient gas-burning capacity y to maintain the water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, and all of said burners being constructed and arranged for ,fuel of the same type, a flue common to all of said burners, means for controlling the supply of fuel to some but not all of said burners, and-other means actuated directly by said means for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said flue.

l0. A hot Water heater comprising in combination, a boiler, a low-input Water-heating burner of suilicient gas-burning capacity to maintain the water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, a high-input burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, a valve controlling the supply of fuel to said high-input burner only, a flue common 'to both of said burners, and an apertured damper controlled directly by said valve for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of said flue.

11. A hot water heater comprising in combination, a boiler, a low-input Water-heating burner of suicient gas-burning capacity to maintain the Water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, a high-input burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for fuel of the same type, a valve controlling the supply of fuel to said high-input burner only, a flue common to both of said burners, and a damper controlled directly by said valve eifective cross-sectional area controlled directly by said valve for regulating v the effective cross-sectional area of said flue.

13. A hot water heater comprising in'combination, a boiler, a normally-operating low-input water-heating burner of sufficient gas-burning capacity to maintain the water in the boiler at a relatively Vhigh temperature for normal domestic uses, a supplemental high-input burner, both of said burners being constructed and arranged for gas, piping for conveying gas to said normallyoperating low-input burner, piping for conveying gas to said supplemental high-input burner, a manually-actuated valve controlling permit the influx of the air of combustion required for said burner and said cap being remov ably associated with said flue.

15. A hot water heatercomprising in combination, a boiler, a normally-operating Waterheating burner of sufficient gas-burning capacity to maintain the Water in the boiler at a relatively high temperature for normal domestic uses, a supplemental. burner, a ue of suicient cross-sectional area to permit the influx of the air of combustion required for both of said burners, a damperY in said flue, said damper having an aperture of smaller diameter than said flue, the cross-seo tional area of said aperture being sufcient to permit the inux of the air of combustion required vby said normally-operating burner when said damper is closed, a valve controlling the supply of gas to said high-input burner only, and means connecting said damper for actuation by said valve.

THEODORE H. PISER. 

